Word

I decided I needed a little pick me up today. I've got a big fat commute coming up this afternoon and I always try to pull a special CD or two to play in the car. I've got my standard rotation, but sometimes I need a change. I'm suffering from insomnia right now due to some serious stress from school and work, so I needed something positive and upbeat. World Party is what I settled on. I need a little good news right now.

Without going into detail, I was up almost all night last night worried about a meeting today. A little guy's future is hanging in the balance. Basically, all I can say is that nothing was resolved in the meeting and I felt like the only sane one in the room. Everyone was well intentioned, but all were so caught up in their own drama that no one could see what really mattered. So, round two on this one next week. Sing it, Karl.

Viva Vintage

I used to love shopping in vintage clothing stores. I loved sifting through the racks of unusual apparel looking for the perfect beaded sweater or a kicky skirt to wear with my lace-up boots. Sadly, somewhere along the line, I seem to have given this up. Maybe it's because I have a hard time working some of the items into my everyday case manager wardrobe. Maybe it's because it takes time to look through everything. Maybe I feel like I'm too old to pull some of it off anymore. Whatever the reason, I sure do miss visiting all of the shops.

So now I get to live vicariously through my daughter. Today Sweetness and her friends are going to go to a great little vintage shop near our home. I've driven past it a million times, as it is near the grocery store. I always love their window displays, which they change on a regular basis and are always outstanding. I feel nostalgiac for the days when my friends and I could spend entire days hopping from shop to shop. I hope she comes home with some fabulous treasures.

I Don't Know Why I Don't Like Sunday

Every Sunday it's the same thing. I sit and struggle with my big statistics assignment of the week. I think I understand and then I realize that I have no clue. I have now been working on this piece of shit for about three hours and am nowhere near completion. To complicate matters, I am supposed to have at least seven pages of my paper done by midnight and I have only one completed. If I were not a rational person, I would blow my brains out right now. I hate this. I am a prisoner in my own life. I want to quit so bad right now, it's not funny. The thought that I have another year and change of this is enough to drive me to drink. And no, I will not get the summer off. I hate this. And I do mean hate, a lot, all the time, every day.

Killer Klowns

THE DICKIES-Killer Klowns from Outer Space

Bubs, this one's for you! I saw the Clown Killer post and *ZAP!* this is where my head took me. It has clowns, lineups, fingerprinting, handcuffing, dames, guns, and a guy in a fez hat. What could be better?

Ode to the Rat

Tender leafy springtime plants
Covered with some little ants
You ate them and you left the stumps
You piled up great big muddy clumps

I came to pick a little flower
I saw your teeth had awesome power
I thought you were a baby rabbit
As it was spring and your species' habit

And then one day I saw two eyes
Reflecting back the sunny skies
To a mouse, I thought, they did belong
Oh how I was so very wrong

I didn't want to kill the mouse
Just flush him from his little house
Into the hole I stuffed the hose
And then so slowly the water rose

I waited and stared down the watery hole
And then the bubbles began to roll
Larger and larger the bubbles popped
And then in horror the hose I dropped

Out sprang a creature so dark and vile
He looked at me with his evil smile
"I ate your plants" he seemed to say
"F#@* you, rat!" this is your last day!

I screamed and ran as fast as I could
He needed to die, I thought he should
I dialed the phone to call the "man"
He came right over with his poison can

Down the hole the poison went
A message to the rat community sent
It took two rounds to kill the rat
He's dead, I'm happy and that is that.

Random Rock

Statistics assignment? What statistics assignment? Huh? In the immortal words of Twisted Sister, "I wanna rock!"

1.The Whole of the Moon-The Waterboys
2.Be My Number Two-Joe Jackson
3.Been Caught Stealin'-Jane's Addiction
4.Come Dancing-The Kinks
5.Less Than Zero-The Methadones
6.We Will Rock You-Queen
7.Fat Randy-Voodoo Glow Skulls
8.Eighties-Killing Joke
9.Come On Eileen-No Doubt
10.The Passenger-Iggy Pop

Alright. I've shirked enough, and I want to go to the Tiki Terrace tonight, so back to the books.

I Smell A .........

A couple of years ago, I was tending my garden on a lovely spring day. I had planted several perennial flowers the year before and was glad they had come back and were so big and healthy. Then I noticed it. Next to one of my flowers was a small hole in the ground and next to the hole, one of my plants had been chewed to a nub. "Oh, those rotten rabbits," I thought. Even though I had never seen a rabbit in my neighborhood, I assumed the furry little beasts had taken up residence in my garden and had set about to eat all of my precious plants.

A few days later, I noticed the hole had gotten bigger. Now I was mad. They had eaten two of my plants and were making an awful mess of my garden. I worried that it was spring and that there would be cute little baby bunnies down the hole. I decided I wouldn't do anything about them.


Days passed by and then when I stepped out onto the porch one day I saw little beady eyes peering out of the hole at me. Shit. Not rabbits. Not cute baby bunnies. Mice. There were mice where we lived in the suburbs growing up. Irritating, but kind of cute. Off he scampered under my porch. I decided that I needed to take action. This was my fatal mistake.

The next day I armed myself with the hose, as I had decided to flush the suckers out. I didn't want to poison them. I figured if I flooded their home, they would feel unwelcome and leave. I shoved the end of the hose down the hole and turned on the water. Five minutes went by and I couldn't see any water rising to the surface. Ten minutes. Finally, the water started rising in the hole. "Industrious little mice," I thought to myself. As the water filled the hole I stood next to it watching. Then I saw a few bubbles. Then I saw large bubbles breaking on the surface of the water. Then it happened.....


Out popped the biggest rat I have ever set my eyes upon. It was enormous. I threw down the hose, shreiked like a little girl and ran into the house, slamming the door behind me. Through the window I saw the bastard run under the porch. I walked into the kitchen, picked up the phone and called the exterminator with the largest ad. Bunnies. Not quite.



Did you think you'd escape without a video?

I'm Scared

HORRORPOPS-MissTake

Statistics are scary. I'm bleary-eyed and frightened. Time to rip it up psychobilly style. Either that or I'm going to bed.


HORRORPOPS-Ghouls

Shuffling Through the Snow (or laying around in it, whichever)

Time to shuffle off again. I am happy to say I am enjoying a normal Friday night off. Yahoo!!!!

1.Say It Loud! I'm Brown and I'm Proud!-El Vez
2.Give Me Novacaine-Green Day
3.What's Under My Bed-Horrorpops
4.Back on the Chain Gang-The Pretenders
5.I'll Melt With You-Modern English
6.Through Your Eyes-Matthew Sweet
7.Rebellion (Lies)-Arcade Fire
8.Life During Wartime-Talking Heads
9.Somebody to Love-Queen
10.Optimistic-Radiohead

Screw the shuffle. I'm listening to London Calling and having a dance party in my living room all by myself. It's Red Tail Ale time!

These Are A Few of My Favorite Things (that start with "R")

How do you narrow down your favorite things in life? Well, when you have one letter to work with, that helps a lot. Here are some of the things that make life good.


Ranunculus-They are unusual flowers that have layers of petals and subtle colors. I love to dig in the dirt. Some of my happiest moments have been spent taking care of flowers.

Rock-As in music. Couldn't live without it.

Racing-I like stock car races. I like to watch them on TV, but I love going to dirt track races in small towns where there's an accident on almost every lap and you can feel the engine in your belly when the cars roar by.



Ragdolls-Our cat Ed is a Ragdoll. He is fluffy, silly and social like a dog. This is his Great Grandpa "Bear."

Running-I used to run a lot. I loved running. I like being outside and I like being by myself. It was the perfect sport. Then I shattered my ankle. No more running. I still miss it. I like walking, but it's not the same.



Ribs-When I lived in South Carolina I lived near Piggy Park, best barbeque in the country. Now we have Hecky's. Mmmmmm.

Reading-I like reading. I don't like reading my textbooks, well, sometimes I like reading those too. I like reading before I go to sleep.

Rest-A good nap is like heaven on earth.

Records-I like the smell of vinyl. I miss big LP covers and liner notes. I still own a turntable and always will.



River Thames-Next to Chicago, London is my favorite city. I love the narrow streets in some areas, the Tube, the stores, the art, and the history. My roommate from college lived there and I visited her a couple of times many years ago. I've lost touch with her and it is one of my great sorrows in life. I have fond memories of piling in her roommate's itty bitty car and going down to a pub on the river. I hope to visit London again soon.

You Make Me Smile With My Heart!

To All of You,
Happy Valentine's Day!

Big 80's Love,
Tenacious S

Venting

At the end of a weekend where I had less downtime than I really needed, I'm ready to blow off some steam. Seeing as it's late and the only place I have to go is here, here it is. I just feel like I need to yell and scream a little and let the kettle boil over before I can start another week. Four weeks left. Oh yeah, I'm counting.

President Barack Obama

I am encouraged. Run, Barack, run. Make our hope reality.

Oh, Hell No!

I am Charlie Brown. The football is statistics and my knowledge of statistics. I took a good run at the ball today. I don't know who the hell Lucy is. Possibly the part of my brain that should be able to understand this, but doesn't. Taunting me, "You think you know which is worse, Type I error or a Type II error? Ha, ha! I don't know how to figure that out. Guess you'll be falling on your ass!"

Why?

Psycho Friday Shuffle

My iTunes apparently were possessed today. Now that all of my music is finally home in one spot on the happy shiny Macbook, the mix is getting a little weirder. That being said, the mix from Pete Yorn to The Eagles to Natalie Merchant was actually pretty sweet. I miss the mixing board at the radio station. I could create pure genius with that. I loved nothing more than controlling the segue between two songs, fading the new song in at the perfect moment while carefully fading out the old one. Now that was a beautiful experience. Someday I'll find some software that lets me have that level of control again. For now, here's the psycho mix of the week:

1.Arcade Fire-Neighborhood 1-Tunnels
2.Tones on Tail-Slender Fungus
3.Pete Yorn-Crystal Village
4.Eagles-Desperado
5.Natalie Merchant-Wonder
6.Gwen Stefani-Rich Girl
7.Virginia Astley-Some Small Hope
8.The Smiths-How Soon Is Now?
9.Alkaline Trio-We've Had Enough
10.ABBA-Knowing Me, Knowing You

No Man is an Island

Sometimes this is how I feel. Remote, isolated, alone in a sea of whatever it is that is surrounding me. Funny, sometimes the only place I want to be is on that island by myself. I often feel like no one understands or cares. I feel myself drifting further and further away and really not minding that I can't see the mainland anymore. Where's Gilligan for a little comic relief?

Baby, It's Cold Outside

The Bears were not victorious, it's -4 degrees this morning, and I love it. We're back to being just plain old Chicago. I can barely believe that I was away from the city I love for so many years. I'm wearing my long johns, a big wooly sweater and have mittens that look like squirrels (so I was told by the neighbor boy). I'm a happy girl.

Bears and My Brain

I really, really, really want to watch and actually enjoy the Super Bowl today. Not that I am a huge football fan, but because this is my town and I want my team to win. I love Chicago and I want this for the city. But I have one more hurdle to jump before kickoff time, my crappy statistics assignment of the week. I now loathe Sunday, because I can no longer procrastinate and the dumb thing is due by midnight.



Now I realize I could probably do some of the work after the game, but I plan on enjoying a couple of margaritas and some yummy ribs, and alcohol and a belly full of protein is not so conducive to sharpness of thought. So, I am off to fire up those little neurons and get this beast done. If I can pass Statistics, maybe the Bears have a chance at winning the Super Bowl.
Go Bears!!!!

Wondering What To Do This Weekend?

OF MONTREAL-Wraith Pinned to the Mist and Other Games

In case you needed suggestions for fun activities for the weekend......

You Can Dance If You Want To...........

I was just thinking how cathartic going dancing was for me. Whatever my week was like, I knew I had Smart Bar, a few drinks and a few hours of just letting it all go on the dancefloor. Much cheaper than seeing a shrink. I think I may need to turn up the music and dance around when I finish my homework tonight. I guarantee everything will feel better. Wanna dance with me?